The Comfort of a Midwinter Night
by iloveromance
Summary: Hoping to hide his humiliation after Maris throws him out of the house, Niles isn't at all prepared for an encounter with Daphne in the middle of the night. An AU version of a scene from "A Midwinternight's Dream"


The white ruffled shirt and red pantaloons were the most uncomfortable clothing that Niles had ever worn, but he didn't care. Scratchy, poorly made fabric was nothing compared to the feeling of being thrown out of his own home. He should have been used to it by now. It certainly wasn't the first time that Maris had ordered him to leave.

He tried once more to make himself comfortable on Frasier's Cocoa Channel couch, but the effort left much to be desired.

But if it weren't for Frasier and his ridiculous suggestion, none of this would even have happened. The upstairs maid would have never found him clad in only his eye patch and Maris would have never flown into a rage. And Niles would be where he belonged; safe in his enormous bed, right across the hall from his wife.

But as it were he was here, lying in the dark on a surprisingly uncomfortable sofa all alone.

Miraculously sleep found its way to him and soon he was dreaming of the better things in life; like a happy marriage. But even though he was deep in REM, it was no match for the sound of the key in the lock and the door opening.

He sat up at once, glancing over his shoulder at the two silhouettes in the doorway. And then came a voice that he'd know anywhere.

"Thank you again Eric. I had a wonderful time."

Unable to tear his eyes away from her, he watched as she smiled at the community college barista. And then to his horror, she confirmed his deepest fears.

The kiss was everything he feared, especially because of the fact that it was shared by his angel and a man that he barely knew, but definitely didn't like.

Niles' heart began to race and he buried himself deeper under the covers, whimpering as the door closed and he heard her walk away. He sighed deeply, grateful that he was sitting in the dark, for the tears on his cheeks were all too real.

He closed his eyes; hoping sleep would consume him once more. But alas, it did not. He thought about leaving but where would he go? He certainly couldn't go home and a hotel was out of the question. And so he was forced to stay here.

As footsteps approached, he quickly raised his head. And the second he did so, he knew it was a mistake. Because it wasn't Frasier or even his father.

"Dr. Crane! What are you doing here?"

His heart skipped a beat at her sweet voice that was hushed so as not to disturb him.

"I'm sorry, Daphne. Did I wake you?"

She laughed softly, a sound that warmed his aching heart. "Oh no, of course not! I haven't even changed me clothes! I just didn't expect to find you here in the living room."

He sighed deeply and threw his legs over the side sofa, where they landed firmly on the floor.

"I know I should be at home, but... something happened."

In the darkness he could see her smile fade and the way she gently took his hand made him shiver.

"You're cold." She said, lifting the blanket to wrap it around his shoulders. But something made her stop and she stared at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and yet he knew full well why she was staring at him. It wasn't every day that one finds a lonely pathetic man dressed in a pirate costume in their living room.

To his horror, Daphne reached for the lamp switch and turned it on. The room illuminated, causing him causing him further humiliation. Ashamed, he attempted to turn away but she turned his face toward hers, gazing up and down at his appearance.

"Why... are you dressed like that?"

At that moment, he wished that he was at a hotel, no matter how shoddy of a reputation it had. He simply couldn't bring himself to tell her. It was much too painful.

And even more painful was the fact that he felt that way at all, because he trusted her with his whole heart.

So he sat in silence, unable even to look into her beautiful brown eyes.

Her hand slipped into his and squeezed gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He lied, sniffing forcefully to avoid a nosebleed that would surely be visible even in the dark. "Um... H-how was your date with E-Eric?"

The man's name felt like sand paper on his tongue. And just as he expected, Daphne's eyes lit up like chocolate diamonds.

"Oh, it was wonderful! He took me to the loveliest Italian restaurant and I suppose the food was very good."

His eyes narrowed. "You _suppose_?"

She laughed once more. "Oh yes. Well... I suppose we were too busy gazing into each other's eyes to even notice what we were eating!"

"It sounds nice." He said glumly.

"It was wonderful." She said in a breathy sigh. "After we ate, we took a leisurely stroll l through the park and watched the sunset. And then-."

"Daphne-."

Her name, which was meant be whispered, came out broken and higher in pitch than he intended, but dutifully she stopped talking and looked at him.

"Yes?"

He swallowed hard, wanting so desperately to beg her to stop talking about this horrid date with such a horrid man. But he had no right.

"Go on... with your story."

"Well... All right. It was all so romantic. And he's so sweet. He makes me laugh. Who ever thought that someone could be so good at music and serving drinks at the same time? I really, really like him, Dr Crane. I can hardly believe-."

It was several seconds before he realized that he had started to sob once more. And even then he wasn't fully aware, but her concerned glance made it so.

"Dr. Crane, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"I-I'm fine Daphne. I-it's late. You should be in bed."

"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong! This isn't like you to be crying like this! Now something has you deeply upset and I want to know what it is! I'm sorry if I sound like I'm prying but I care about you, Dr. Crane! So what is it?"

He drew in a long staggered breath that disturbingly brought even more tears. "I-I... It's Maris."

"I thought it might be."

He turned to face her and her eyes filled with remorse. "I'm sorry for saying that, Dr. Crane because I know that you love your wife. But something must be terribly wrong if you're here and..."

"Wearing a ridiculous outfit." He finished.

"Well... yes." She said quietly. "But if you don't want to talk about it I'll understand. It is rather late and you need your rest. Goodnight, Dr. Crane. I'm sorry."

When she rose from the sofa, panic overtook him. "Daphne, wait!"

She turned to him in surprise.

"Please... Don't leave."

"All right."

She sat down amid an uncomfortable silence. He wanted to tell her what had happened at his home, so badly... but he was deeply ashamed. And Daphne was the last person on earth he'd ever want to be disappointed in him.

He lowered his head and was soon so deep in thought that he barely noticed that her hand had slipped into his.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

His inhaled breath was staggered, tinged with pain. "Sh-she threw me out."

The gasp that fell from her mouth was accompanied by a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"That's terrible! How could she do such a horrible thing?"

"Well, I deserved it." he said, even more ashamed than before.

"That's ridiculous, Dr. Crane! No one deserves to be thrown out of their own home! I'm... so sorry."

"It's all right, Daphne. Dad was kind enough to let me stay here and-."

He found himself in her arms, sighing at the way her heavenly scent floated around him. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax against her shoulder while she held him close.

"Thank you, Daphne." He said against her neck. "Your kindness means so much to me."

"Well I'm glad." She said, holding onto him. "But if you want to talk about what happened..."

"I know... _you're listening_, right?"

She laughed and hugged him tighter. "Something like that. But I was going to say that I'm here for you."

He slowly drew out of her arms and looked into her beautiful eyes. "Daphne..."

"Yes?"

"If I tell you what happened, do you promise not to laugh? I've already been humiliated enough for one evening."

"I'm sure that whatever happened wasn't your fault. And Mrs. Crane had no right to laugh at you!"

"A-actually I was talking abut Frasier and Dad."

"Bloody hell." She muttered. "I should have known. At least you have someone in your life. I don't see your brother or father going on dates."

"They had every right to laugh at me, even though it was Frasier's fault. You see, he suggested that I do some um... role playing to get Maris... in the mood. So I put on this ridiculous outfit and was planning on hiding in the closet while she used the treasure map that I carefully constructed so that she would find me. And then..."

"I think I know what happens then. Oh, that's so romantic, Dr. Crane! I hope that some day a handsome man will do something that thoughtful for me!"

"But Daphne I wasn't finished. I-."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Crane didn't think your game was fun and I'm sorry if this sounds disrespectful but you were only trying to show her how much you love her! Well, it's her loss. If she can't see how wonderful you are..."

He swallowed hard, feeling as though he'd betrayed her. For he hadn't told her about the worst part of the evening.

"But Daphne-."

She held him once more and kissed his cheek. "You're such a sweet man and I know you love your wife. It's very touching and Mrs. Crane is very lucky to have you. I hope that she sees that. And I hope that when you go back home, she'll apologize for her horrible behavior."

"Daphne, I-."

Her fingers went to his lips, causing him to shudder once more. "Oh, you're cold." She said for a second time. Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll tuck you in?"

He stared at her in disbelief, hesitating for only a moment before doing as she asked. He lay down on the sofa, resting his head on the pillow while she covered him with the blanket, making sure that he was warm. "Is that all right?"

"It's perfect." He said in a dreamlike state. For he could hardly believe this was happening.

She knelt beside him and gently stroked his cheek with her fingertips. "Well, it's late and I'll let you get some sleep. You know, Dr. Crane..."

"Yes, Daphne?"

She laughed as though embarrassed, prompting him to prop himself up on his elbow.

"Well, I was just thinking... If you weren't married, I wouldn't mind..."

"What?" He asked; his heart racing as he sat up even straighter.

"Never mind. It's just me silly imagination. You need your rest. Goodnight, Dr. Crane."

When she kissed his cheek once more, he felt as though he was floating.

"G-Goodnight, Daphne."

She turned out the light, darkening the living room once more, humming softly as she headed for her bedroom. And when he was alone, he closed his eyes, drifting into slumber once more.

He may have been married and had virtually no chance of obtaining someone as wonderful as Daphne, let alone the goddess herself. But he had no doubt that his dreams would be filled with images of the woman he loved.

As they were every night.

**THE END**


End file.
